nutshell
I’ve had a few questions about my life lately and I thought that it was an excellent idea to answer them here.
Jim and I started dating when I was 15 and he was 21. When I say the word dating, I use the term losely because we weren’t allowed to date. (You can imagine how well me daing a 21 year old went over with my parents.) We pretty much just saw each other any chance we got. It didn’t take long until we knew that we wanted to marry each other. I don’t think that it’s very often that a 15 year old falls in love with the person she wants to marry, but I have always been more mature for my age. And I think that I just knew what I wanted.
We had a rough go of it really. It was such a fight with my parents. We broke up once because we saw the inevatable coming, but we just couldn’t stay apart. We were forbidden to see each other, which we didn’t obey. Finally, the summer before my senior year, we were finally allowed to be together. I think they realized that Jim was there to stay. Later on that year I was forbidden to see him again. It only lasted a week. I can be rather dramatic and they gave in.
By the time I turned 18 we were just ready to get married. It was important to both of us that we were virgins when we married and, after almost three years of being together, it was getting to the point in our relationship that it was getting VERY hard to resist. Plus, we knew what we wanted and we had fought for it so hard, so why wait?
We got married October 16, 1999. 1 month and 1 day after my 18th birthday. I think it was with my parents blessing. I know that now my mom thinks the world of Jim. I’m not sure about my dad, I know that I’m not living the life he would have chosen for me. But having the kids has softened him up a bit to my life, they are so cute…
EDIT: I also wanted to say that while it has been good for me to marry so young, I wouldn’t necessarily advise it for everyone. There are hard things about starting a marriage when you still have a lot of growing up to do. Jim has been extremely patient with me and I know that if our marriage hadn’t been built on a firm foundation of knowing each other and knowing what we wanted in each other and, in my opinion God’s blessing, we wouldn’t have lasted this long. And while I say I knew what I wanted, I can’t say how lucky I am that I made the right choice. I couldn’t see then what experience has shown me now and… I’m just so lucky that I chose right.
I got pregnant with Eden about two years into our marriage, just a few months after we bought our house. It was one of those things where we weren’t trying but we weren’t prevenitng it either. Jim was in extreme shock when I first took the pregnancy test. He refused to believe me until it was confirmed by a doctor. He soon warmed up to the idea and out popped baby Eden Joy, just two weeks after Jim had been laid off from his job.
He still marvels at how well I handled it. We just had to hit the ground running with our business. It was do or die.
11 months after Eden was born, I got pregnant with Honor. This time our roles were reversed. I was in extreme shock and Jim was super excited. All I have to say is it only takes one time of not being vigillant with our birth control method…. ONE TIME!!! I was pretty miserable during my pregnancy with Honor. I was sick and puking for the majority of it and then it was like the hottest summer EVER. God smiled on me when he was born two weeks early.
There you have it, the last 8 years of my life in a nutshell.
Category: marriage 16 comments »
February 3rd, 2005 at 5:27 pm
awww….that is such a sweet story and i love that you have included pictures!
February 3rd, 2005 at 5:38 pm
Thanks for the story! I was right–it was interesting.
If you had it to do over again, do you think you would have worked harder to get your parents’ blessing? You know, with what you know now as a parent?
Thanks for the story. I always love a good romance!
February 3rd, 2005 at 7:11 pm
what a cute story in a nutshell!
Loved the photos :)
February 4th, 2005 at 9:27 am
Wow – thanks for filling us in. I have to say I was getting a little curious myself. Its always so interesting to hear about the people’s lives whose websites you read.
February 4th, 2005 at 10:32 am
Great story! It so funny how similar we really are!
February 4th, 2005 at 11:04 am
This was really cool to read. You know that I have always thought you were older than you are (in a good way). This shows me a little more of why and how. Cute baby pics, too! Thanks.
February 4th, 2005 at 11:14 am
Oh, and P.S. Want to know Honor’s middle name. Love Eden’s.
February 4th, 2005 at 1:50 pm
Awww, you guys are so cute! What a great blog entry :) And Honor looks just the same, lol. You can’t say that about too many newborns. You have a beautiful family and a lot to be proud of, Allison!
February 4th, 2005 at 4:56 pm
Even though I knew your story it is still so amazing to hear it again. You two have been through sooooo much to be together! You are truly blessed!
February 4th, 2005 at 6:14 pm
is it just me, in that homecoming pic you look almost identical to drew barrymore? there was even a magazine cover that she was on back in the day where her hair was like that with a flower in it.
February 5th, 2005 at 12:56 pm
That’s such a cute story! I love the pics of you two and your wedding. You both look so happy. :)
February 6th, 2005 at 11:24 am
I thought you looked like Drew Barrymore as well.
That’s a very cute story – I love hearing about people who married young and had it all work out well. It’s encouraging.
February 8th, 2005 at 6:19 pm
I love the blonde hair! So Drew Berrymore! So MY question is how are you two going to react when your wee ones want to date a 21 yr old? I bet your parents chuckle. :0P
February 8th, 2005 at 10:29 pm
Awww…you look cute with the platinum blonde hair!
February 9th, 2005 at 6:50 pm
Thanks for sharing your story! I also got married at 18 to my high school sweetheart. It was a huge mistake for me unfortunately. I am so glad to hear stories like yours, the few that actually make it. How fabulous!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Okay so obviously I am a little late in a comment. But better late then never right?/maybe.
This was a bit like reading my life store, minus the kids. So very strange. I know understand why my sister sent me your blog years and years ago. Somehow I always msised this part of it. I have read your blog off and on for some 6 years now but still really, could wereall have had such a similar start to life?
Hugs,
Alex